Dallas Stars’ Jamie Benn Makes NHL Network’s List Of Top 20 Wingers

The NHL Network released their list of the top 20 wingers in the league right now. Only one Dallas Stars player is on it, but he’s pretty high up there.

It’s hard to argue that Dallas Stars captain Jamie Benn isn’t one of the top wingers (or players, for that matter) currently in the NHL. He’s just that good.

At the age of 28, Benn is just now entering the prime of his career. But according to the numbers he has put up in the first eight years of his career, you’d think he already hit his prime.

In 585 career games (all with the Dallas Stars), Benn has 218 goals and 517 points. Benn has spent a large part of his career on the top line in Dallas, helping the Stars offense excel and produce.

He’s considered the complete package when it comes to hockey players. Benn can score, pass, skate, handle, hit, play physical, defend, and contribute on special teams at an elite level. He also capped off an impressive 2014-15 campaign with 87 points and an Art Ross Trophy. Not bad for a fifth round pick.

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Recently, the NHL Network released their list of the top 20 wingers in the NHL right now. It includes both left and right wingers and is a full assessment of all active NHL players. Jamie Benn, as you probably guessed, made the list.

The Dallas Stars are primarily stacked at the center position on offense, so the expectations of having more than one player on the list weren’t high. Alexander Radulov was considered “on the bubble” by the NHL Network for the top 20 along with Benn, but he didn’t make the cut.

Jamie Benn came in at no. 5 on their list, behind only Patrick Kane, Nikita Kucherov, Brad Marchand, and Vladimir Tarasenko. Rounding out the top ten behind Benn are Alex Ovechkin, Joe Pavelski, Patrik Laine, Artemi Panarin, and Johnny Gaudreau.

Say what you want about the list, but it’s a pretty fair and honest assessment. There may be one or two placings that you disagree with (and that’s perfectly acceptable), but it’s nice to see Benn in the top five because, well, he deserves to be.

He’s an all-star player and continues to make his case as one of the top forwards in the National Hockey League.

The list was a nice touch to any Dallas Stars fan’s day, but the cherry on top wasn’t his placing; it was what one of the analysts had to say about the future.

When asked about whether or not he believes that Patrick Kane will retain the no. 1 spot at the start of the 2018-19 season, Bill Lindsay stated that he believes there will be some movement. He mentioned that he believes Jamie Benn will be the best winger in the league one year from now.

Benn definitely has the opportunity to do it this season. If he can avoid injury and play a full slate, he could be looking at a career season. With Tyler Seguin and Alexander Radulov alongside him, the Stars’ top line will be flying and likely dominating each night. All Benn has to do is cash in.

Next: Kari Lehtonen Becoming The Next Tony Romo Of Dallas Sports

It’s a great time to be a Dallas Stars fan. The 2017 offseason was an impressive one and the Stars restocked their lineup in preparation for a hopefully large run.

Only 53 days until we start seeing if it all pays off.